Transpersonal Functions of Masks in NohKiDo

This article discusses the transpersonal functions of masks in ritual and in drama therapy as expressed in the creative path of NohKiDo. NohKiDo, whose main components include the Prism of Consciousness (Personal, Transpersonal, and Universal), the Rainbow Method, Action Meditation techniques (masked meditation, etc.), and Therapeutic Noh Theater, is a therapeutic system developed by the author through the redefinition and interpretation of a set of transpersonal concepts based on Zeami’s (one of the founders of Noh) original Noh formulation for Therapeutic Noh Theater. The most significant concepts of Ma (heightened energy through stillness and silence), Mushin-no-kan (transpersonal projection), Ichu no kei (projective imagination), and Riken no ken (transpersonal mirroring) pertain especially to the transpersonal functions of masks. The main aim of a Therapeutic Noh Theater performance is to heighten the consciousness of its actors, as well as the members of its audience, to a transpersonal level; a Therapeutic Noh Theater performance of Born from Good Angel’s Tears is discussed as an example. The creative path of NohKiDo is introduced here as a lifelong journey to the spiritual, within and without, via masks, the arts, and creativity

Mini-Intein Structures from Extremophiles Suggest a Strategy for Finding Novel Robust Inteins

Inteins are prevalent among extremophiles. Mini-inteins with robust splicing properties are of particular interest for biotechnological applications due to their small size. However, biochemical and structural characterization has still been limited to a small number of inteins, and only a few serve as widely used tools in protein engineering. We determined the crystal structure of a naturally occurring Pol-II mini-intein from Pyrococcus horikoshii and compared all three mini-inteins found in the genome of P. horikoshii. Despite their similar sizes, the comparison revealed distinct differences in the insertions and deletions, implying specific evolutionary pathways from distinct ancestral origins. Our studies suggest that sporadically distributed mini-inteins might be more promising for further protein engineering applications than highly conserved mini-inteins. Structural investigations of additional inteins could guide the shortest path to finding novel robust mini-inteins suitable for various protein engineering purposes

Mini-Intein Structures from Extremophiles Suggest a Strategy for Finding Novel Robust Inteins

Inteins are prevalent among extremophiles. Mini-inteins with robust splicing properties are of particular interest for biotechnological applications due to their small size. However, biochemical and structural characterization has still been limited to a small number of inteins, and only a few serve as widely used tools in protein engineering. We determined the crystal structure of a naturally occurring Pol-II mini-intein from Pyrococcus horikoshii and compared all three mini-inteins found in the genome of P. horikoshii. Despite their similar sizes, the comparison revealed distinct differences in the insertions and deletions, implying specific evolutionary pathways from distinct ancestral origins. Our studies suggest that sporadically distributed mini-inteins might be more promising for further protein engineering applications than highly conserved mini-inteins. Structural investigations of additional inteins could guide the shortest path to finding novel robust mini-inteins suitable for various protein engineering purposes

Structure and thermal behaviour of dichlorobis(thiourea)cadmium(ii), a single-source precursor for CdS thin films

The title compound (1) crystallites in the space group Pmn2(1) with a = 13.110 (3), b = 5.813(1) and c = 6.482(1) Angstrom. Its crystal structure was redetermined from three-dimensional single-crystal data to a final R-value of 0.0221. The Cd2+ ion is tetrahedrally coordinated to two sulfur atoms from the tiourea ligand (Cd-S = 2.509 Angstrom) and to two chloride ions at distances 2.545 and 2.518 Angstrom. When heated in air or in an inert atmosphere 1 undergoes a complex degradation process which was studied in situ by simultaneous TG/DTA as well as by EGA-FTIR. The gaseous species evolved include NH3, HCl, H2NCN, HNCS and CS2, which upon oxidation yield also HCN, SO2, COS and CO2. In the solid residue, NH4CdCl3 and CdS were detected by X-ray diffraction, Elemental and XPS analyses also indicated the presence of Cl and N as well as some carbon residue. The results of the thermoanalytical study are not directly applicable to the spray pyrolysis process because of the different experimental conditions, but they nevertheless indicate that it is extremely difficult to prepare impurity-free CdS. The formation of HCN, not detected earlier, should also be taken into account when designing the process parameters and safety measures

Drift compensation using a multichannel slot waveguide Young interferometer

Polymeric integrated Young interferometer sensor chips utilizing a slot waveguide have demonstrated to be sensitive, to work at visible wavelengths, to be manufacturable by simple process, and to have a reduced sensitivity to temperature fluctuations. Although slot waveguide Young interferometers have these desirable features for low-cost rapid diagnostics, the sensor readout is disturbed by mechanical drifts of the sensing system. In this paper we demonstrate that mechanical drifts of the readout system can be compensated by using a multichannel slot waveguide Young interferometer having two reference waveguides and applying a drift compensation method based on the analysis of the spatial shifts of the interferogram fringes. The applicability of the drift compensation method was studied by conducting experiments with undisturbed and with mechanically disturbed setup to measure the phase changes induced by the changes of the bulk refractive index. By applying the drift compensation method, the sample induced phase change responses were extracted from up to 18 times larger measured phase changes in the disturbed experiments proving the applicability of the method with multichannel slot waveguide Young interferometers

Exploration of Microbial Communities Using the Thermo Scientific Varioskan LUX Multimode Reader and the Invitrogen EVOS FL Cell Imaging System

Non peer reviewe

Structural studies on Δ3-Δ2-enoyl-CoA isomerase: the variable mode of assembly of the trimeric disks of the crotonase superfamily

AbstractSubunits of the enzymes in the crotonase superfamily form tight trimeric disks. In most members of this protein superfamily these disks assemble further into hexamers. Here we report on the 2.1 Å structure of a tight hexameric crystal form of the yeast peroxisomal Δ3-Δ2-enoyl-CoA isomerase (Eci1p). A comparison of this structure to a previously solved crystal form of Eci1p and other structures of this superfamily shows that there is much variability with respect to the relative distance between the disks and their relative orientations. In particular helices H2 and H9 are involved in the inter-trimer contacts and there are considerable structural differences in these helices in this superfamily. Helices H2 and H9 are near the catalytic cavity and it is postulated that the observed structural variability of these helices, stabilized by the different modes of assembly, has allowed the evolution of the wide range of substrate and catalytic specificity within this enzyme superfamily

Tulkkien työmuistista ja toiminnanohjauksesta

Peer reviewe

Analysis of ground heat exchanger for a ground source heat pump : A study of an existing system to find optimal borehole length to enhance the coefficient of performance

Ground Source Heat Hump is one of the emerging technic to utilize the reservoir of geothermal energy in Europe. The crucial factor is to find the optimal length of the borehole to successfully design a heating system. The length of the borehole varies depending on the geographical area, the capacity of the heat pump and heat load of the desired building in consideration. Several methods have been theorized and validated using the experimental measurements to find the optimal length of the borehole. The most commonly used methods are American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers and International Ground Source Heat Pump Association for sizing borehole heat exchanger. In this paper, an existing system is analyzed, for a 60 kilo Watts heat pump in an area of Finland with a ground source 250 meters of Borehole Heat Exchanger. Coefficient of Performance for current scenario is calculated, an optimal length is found for the heat capacity of the heat pump to enhance the performance of the system. Improved coefficient of performance is presented along with an easy method of finding the optimal length of the ground source.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed